Display rack divider



Jan. 20, 1959 o. M. GANZ DISPLAY RACK DIVIDER Filed April l, 1955 INVENTOR DANIEL M. GANZ Malt; M

ATTORNEY United States 2869'232 DISPLAY RACK DIVIDER Daniel =M Ganz, Baldwin, N. Y.,assignor f one-half t0 Harold Mahler, New York, N

Application Api'il 1, 1955, SeriahNo: 498;731

Claims. ((11.21-1-184) The; present invention relates broadly to display raclcs andfixtures, and imparticular to an improVed remcivable and adjustable dividenfor use \with such rdisplayracks r 01' fixtures.

Known display racks for the merchandising and sale of stationery;items such as greeting cards, usually in clucle a1 plurality of tiers arranged in step-Wise relati-0n, eaclruf thetiers including spaced frontaand rearwalls defining atrough which is adapted t0 receiveplural stacks of x:ardsor the like inr rside-by-side relation. In

that thestacks of ca-rds or similars articles which are displayed in the racksvarydn width, and are frequently changed ordisplayedat difierent locations in the rack, it

-is impractical to attempt to separatethe-regions for the respective- Stacks =by rigidpartitions or :dividers.

Broadly, it is an -objectof the present invention to provide a removable and adjustable divider f0r use 011 association with a;display fixtureor rack f -a particular size,specifically one with apredetermined separation betw.een the -Wallsu-defining the width of the tro;ugh o: channel. Still fu1theI,such known spring wire clip cleviders are somewhat inefiective topreclude interleaving of articles fr-om adjacent stacks 01' pcks, especiall'y when the display rack is rather full.

Accordingly, it is a further object cf the presentinvention toprovide irnproved dividers which maybe accommodated -on display racks having troughs or bins 03 varying -widths and are effeetive to-completely subdivide war partition the troughs into indiVidual compartrnents or pockets. 1T 0 advantage, diyitlersacehiding to the present -inventiommay be adjusted .longitudinally and transverse ly ofthe walls defining the trough for the si1bdivision 0f the trough into pockets each substan'tilly of the width of the associated stack of cards.

In accordance with an illustrative embodiment demonstrating features of the present invention, there is provided a divider for use on a display rack which includes a downwardly opening clip engageable over one 0f the trough-forming Walls of the display rack, a divider body extending in a plane substantially at right angles to the Clip and to the trough-defining Walls, and means opera tively connected to the divider body for adjustment transversely of the trough. The divider body is movable into a position straddling the space between the walls, thus being efiective to define a complete partition across the trough. T0 advantage, the assembly of the clip and the divider body is adjustable along the length of the wall such as to fit cards or articles cf various widths.

ate-n=t 2,86%732 Patented Jan. 20, 1959 "ice The ahove brief -description as well as furt'her objects,

-lfeatures and advantages 0f the present invention Will be best understood by reference to the following detailecl description.of several illustrative embodiments, when .taken -in.cpnjunctigm with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 5 is aperspeetiveview:of a modifieddivider ernbodying furtherfeatures f the present invention.

Referring now specifically.to the drawings, there is shown in Fig. l a display rack or)fixturelll including a base 12 of steprlikeconfiguration and upright wallsll, 16 which extend parallel to each otherl In the portio=n of the display rack illustrated, the uprights 14, 16 serve .as frontand rear .Walls respeetively f0r a trough er channel 18 which.extends across the Width mf the display rack andincludes afloor Qrbtt0rri 20 defined byone of the steps ofthei" base 12.

r Inaccordance With r the. present invention, a divider, generally designatecl vby the referehce numeral 30, is mountedon thefrnnjawall 14 of the trough o1 channel 18 to separate adjacentstacksi-S S cf greetings cards er similar articles fromeach dther. Thedivider inclucles a downwardly opening clip 32 of.generall31 U-shaped canfigurationhaving.legsections 34, 36 interconnected by a curvgdbight -38. T he legsebtion 34 is somewhat langer than the leg section 36,but bothhave substantial a1ea contacts with the opposing faces Cf the -Wall 14 topreclude tipping or tiltilng Offll6 clipwhen mounted on the -wall. The leg section4isfiormed with inwarcll'y pro- -jecting dimples40 integral With thewall for grippingly r engag1ng the inner face f the walll4to further preclude tipping. Theouter wall 36 cf the clip32 is -forrned with an outward lip4lsuch thatthe user may pl'ace an instrument beneath thelip to disengage-the same in the event it is difiicult to. manually remove thelclip from the Wall. The clip is fabricated of resilient er springy material such .thatthe area contact prdvided;by the inner surfaces :of

the opposed leg-sections4, 36assure gripping contact of -the opposite faces .fthe Wall 14.

Integral withthe. l'owerend.nfthe leg section 34 are ears44, 46 which are prefe rably struck out, frorn the leg section 34. The ears 44, 46 in oonjunction with alpin r 48; serve to provide,apivotal ;mount fora transparent plastic diyider bodyfl50. which.extends generlly in a plane at7right angles1 to the. Clip ai1d.t0 the respective -Walls M, 16 of the tro-ugh 18. The pin 48 which in actual manufacture may be a rivet, urges the inner surfaces 44a, 46a of the ears into frictional contact With the coextensive surfaces of the divider body 50, such that the divider body will maintain various positions of a-djustrrient when positively urged into such positions.

The divider body 50 is fo-rrned witha cutout 52 defining an integral nose 01 projection 54. The cut-out is -dirnensiened in relation to the clip 32 such that the edge 52a may ahnt against the leg section 34 in an inner or retracted limit position; the length of the nose 54 is such that the nose projects over the clip 32 in various positions cf adjustment fr0m the inner limit 01' retracted position Wherein the edge 52a is substantially upright ancl abuts against the leg section 34 to the outer limit posiabout the divider body 50'.

tion ill'ustrated in Fig. 2 wherein the divider body 50 has an edge in contact With the rear Wall 16 of the trough. Thus in various positions cf adjustment, the nose 54 provides an extension of the divider body 50 which assures complete bridging of the space between the Walls 14, 16.

In .actual nse, the clip 32 is engaged over the Wall 14 and adjusted t the desired position, whereupon the divider body 50 is pivoted until it assumes the position straddling the trough and in contact With the rear Wall 16, as illustrated in Fig. 2.

In Fig. 5, there is shown a modification of the present invention in which the divider body 50' is loosely mounted between the ears 44, 46' of the clip 32 and into an outer limit position defined by the proximity of the rear Wall 16 to the front Wall 14. The spring 60 includes a medial portion bent about the pivot pin 48', a terminal section 62 bearing against the leg section 34 of the clip 32' and a hook terminal section 64 engaged Still further modifications Will occur to those skilled in the art, and accordingly the appended claims should be construed broadly and in a manner consistent With the disclosure herein; in certain instances some features of the invention Will be used without a corresponding use of other features.

What I claim is:

l. In combination with a display rack including front V and rear walls spaced apart and in substantial parallelism, said walls defining an elongated trough for receiving side by side stacks each made up cf a number cf flat elements, an upright divider for said display rack including a downwardly opening metal clip of U-shaped crosssection, said clip having opposed le'gs engaging over one 0f said walls, a divider body extending in a plane transverse to said walls, and a pivot ori one leg of said clip and operatively connected said divider body mounting sarne for adjnstment in said plane and into a position straddling said walls and serving as a barrier against interleaving of the elements of the respective stacks.

2. In combination with a display rack ineluding front and r'ear Walls spaced apart and in substantial parallelism, said walls defining an elongated trough for receiving .stacks made up of a number of flat elements in adjacent and side by side relation, an upright divider for said display rack including a downwardly opening metal clip of U-shaped cross-section, said clip having opposed legs engaging over one of said Walls, a divider body extending in a plane transverse to said Walls, pivot means on one leg of said clip and operatively connected to said divider body mounting sarne for adjustrnent in said plane and into an operative position straddling said Walls and serving as a barrier against interleaving of the elements of the respective stacks, and a spring operatively connected to and biasing said divider body into said operative position.

3. In combination with a display rack including front and rear Walls, spaced apart and in snbstantial parallelisrn, said Walls defining an elongated trough for receiving stacks made up of a numberof flat elements in adjacent and side by side relation, an upright divider for said display rack including a downwardly opening metal clip of U-shaped cross-section, said clip having opposed legs engaging over one of said walls, inwardly projecting dimples integral with one of said legs for grippingly engaging said one Wall, a divider body extending in a plane transverse to said walls, and a pivot on one leg of said clip and operatively connected to said divider body mounting same for adjustrnent in said plane into a position straddling said Walls and serving as a barrier against interleaving of the elements of the respective stacks.

4. In combination With a display rack including front and rear walls spaced apart and in substantial parallelisrn, said walls defining an elongated trough for receiving stacks made up of a number of flat elements in adjacent and side by side relation, an upright divider for said display rack including a downwardly opening metal clip 0f U-shaped cross-section, said clip having opposed legs engaging over one of said Walls, a divider body extending in a plane transverse to said Walls, and means on one leg of said'clip and operatively connected to said divider body mounting same for adjustment in said plane from a retracted position into an operative position straddling said walls and serving as a barrier against interleaving of the elements of the respective stacks, said divider body including an integral nose projecting over said clip in various positions of adjustment of said divider body.

5. In oombination with a display rack inclucling front and rear Walls which are spaced apart and extend in substantial parallelism, said walls defining an elongated trough for receiving Stacks made up of a number cf flat elements in adjacent and side by side relation, an upright divider for said display rack including a downwardly opening metal clip of subs'tantially U-shaped crosssection, said clip having opposed legs engaging over said front Wall, a divider body extending in a plane trans- Verse to said Walls, a pivot on one leg of said clip and operatively connected to said divider body mounting sarne for pivotal adjustment in said plane into a position straddling said Walls and abutting said rear Wall, said divider body serving as a barrier against interleaving of the elements of the respeetive stacks, and means on said clip and engaging said divider body providing frietional contact therebetween whereby said divider body Will maintain a prescribed position of adjustment when positively urged into said prescribed position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,135,038 Middaugh Apr. 13, 1915 1,594,754 Reines Aug. 3, 1926 1,783578 Mandy Dec. 2, 1930 2,236330 Canfield Mar. 25, 1941 2268,025 Ericks0n Dec. 30, 1941 2532,600 Broesma Dec. 5, 1950 2557264 Dellinger et a1. Inne 19, 1951 2,662,717 Johnson Dec. 15, 1953 

